Private Looking for Escapees

[Del]

Looking for Escapees​

Location: Kaas City, Dromun Kaas
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Valen Arenais

---​

The Artifact - it was why she was there. Some old holocron that needed to be found. It was supposed to be in the jungle just outside of Kaas city, buried deep within a mostly collapsed cave by a waterfall. She had first read of its existence in one of the books Darth Insatious had given to her and she wanted to surprise him. Of course, one could never truly surprise her Master but one could certainly try. Its location had been described as ancient but filled with old traps, both dead and alive. It was a challenge for later, however. What had to be handled now was different - it was the tight security which the Crusaders had imposed on the planet after its recent conquest.

Looking out the window of the shuttle which she was arriving in, it was hard not to feel a little sad. It had once been the seat of the Sith Empire and once more, fanatics around the galaxy had hunted it down to extinction in the name of some arbitrary 'goodness'. She shook her head, it simply wasn't right. Still, it meant that those who remained - now including her - had to do their part to rebuild. She felt proud to do so under Insatious. Who was better suited to direct the efforts than him? There were probably a number of good candidates but she truly couldn't think of any one who would be better suited for it. But then, her roster of names which she actually knew something about was also rather limited.

Once the craft had landed and the passengers debarked, the young athlete moved among them. She was dressed to avoid standing out and would do her very best to conceal her presence in the force. Still, she had not expected the rather large number of security forces there. As she moved, she started to notice how the conversations that could be heard varied depending on who she passed. Merchants spoke of new times and a boon for business, normal travellers spoke of adventures in the city and jungle and business persons spoke of whether the new system was stable enough for safe investments. Importantly, however, the guards spoke of 'Sith on the loose'. It made her shiver to think of being hunted like some unwanted vermin.

She had not brought any luggage and quickly moved through the pick-up area out into the open terminal. In the distance, she could see a tall figure whom she assumed was the Crusaders' version of a Jedi. He carried a lightsabre by his belt and was flanked by four guards. Just like a beast on the prowl, he looked around and appeared to inch closer to her at a concerning pace. Delphine looked wanted to look around for potential escape routes or other guards bu was too afraid to raise her head - what if they got suspicious. Her gaze lingered by her feet as she concentrated on not bumping into someone as she moved along with the other new arrivals.

Then, she heard a voice and her heart sank "There, that's the Sith. Catch 'em!"

 

[Darth Ahriman]

---

Location: Dromund Kaas, Kaas City.
Possessions: Lightsaber.
Starship: The Chimera.

---

Once upon a time, Dromund Kaas had been the seat of power for the Sith Empire during the reign of Darth Carnifex, Lord and Father to Valen's Master Zeptepi Zambrano . The Sith Academy within Kaas City had been the birthplace of Valen's coming into strength, introduced to the ways of the Force and then being sent from battlefield to battlefield as the Empire fought against the New Imperial Order; They who would eventually be the Empire's undoing.

Today, their once mighty homeworld had been reduced to the custody of the Ashlan Crusade. They were heretical to the old Order of Jedi and yet posed a greater threat because of their militant ways. A true army of Lightsided Force Users who sought to rival the might of the Sith Order, that which still existed across pockets of the known Galaxy, as well as the Worm Emperors' own sect of followers.

This new emperor was an unknown variant to Valen, he of whom had remained loyal to his Master's teachings and subsequently followed the Kainate prior to the reckoning of Dromund Kaas. They had withdrawn into the shadow, lived to fight another day, and all the while Valen had felt resentment over the retreat, wanting nothing more than to stand in open defiance within the public spotlight as he had during every invasion they had been hit with from the Imperials. Living to fight another day was only so good, in his mind, if you could stomach the shame of retreat...-Yet perhaps that arrogant line of thought was one that left the Sith Apprentice vulnerable to manipulation were it not for his Masters' instruction.

Zeptepi Zambrano had relinquished her command over Valen recently, during their time on Arcadia where they had both eliminated the Typhojem Zealots, a cult that had betrayed the Empire in the days where it still held meaning to the name. The truth of Valen's past had been revealed to him, his origin still seated in the back of his mind, slowly tormenting him as he tried to process the very nature of his being. Returning to Dromund Kaas was as much about finding distraction from this truth, as it was proving to himself that he was more than what Veneer had revealed. That his strength was not a farce, but an example of his individuality and worth as a Sith.

"There, that's the Sith. Catch 'em!", the warning came too late.

Snap-Hiss.

The sudden eruption of crimson light exploded from the hand of the cloaked figure with an arc of energy expelled from the cross-guard emitter, a blur of red sweeping out against the waist of the nearest Ashlan Guard, the Sith Apprentice driving forward and knocking the flailing man into his nearby cohort, seeking out the Jedi with no intention of being held back from his target.

The crowded street broke apart in a feared frenzy as a woman screamed at the sight of the severed form, the soldier's torso having been cut from his lower half. The remaining three soldiers and their Jedi leader were encircled, every non-combatant seeking to get clear of the possible danger, creating space enough to expose Valen to Del 's line of sight from where she was positioned. The Sith Apprentice had made the first move, and now let down the shroud of anonymity.

"No, don't!-..." The Jedi had shouted as the second soldier sought to rush the Sith assailant, putting himself between Valen and his intended target. They raised their blaster rifle in order to open fire and instead of releasing a volley of plasma, the discharge was caught within the barrel of the firearm and exploded in hot metal shrapnel. The man screamed out in pain as Valen's left hand lowered from out before him and instead moved to join his right hand at the hilt of his Lightsaber, lighting the crimson blade up and then decisively finishing the soldier with a strong-armed verticle slash from the shoulder to the hip.

The other two soldiers listened to their commanding officer, wisely falling back as Valen stepped over the fallen, placing himself in the direct path of the Jedi. This time however the Sith Apprentice did not seek to attack so quickly, but instead slowed to a halt and seemed to study the Lightsider before him.

"Jedi. Before you die, Know that House Zambrano sends its regards".

Thus far, Valen had made a name and reputation within the former Sith Empire for his service in the field of combat. His feats in open warfare had helped his Master to ascend in stature within the Kainate, adding to her worth in the eyes of the other Sith Lords of her noble House. The Jedi before Valen had been responsible for some part in the war that had eventually forced the Kainate into hiding and so Valen had arrived to do what he had proven himself capable of during the war.

The role of an Inquisitor. To eliminate the rival Jedi.

 

[Del]

Looking for Escapees​

Location: Kaas City, Dromun Kaas
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Valen Arenais

---​

Before she dared to look up and before she even managed to determine if it was her that the Crusader referred to, the familiar sound of a lightsabre ignition could be heard. Whereas she had previously been wrought by fear, Delphine now looked up to see what was happening. Her time under Insatious and his rather brutal followers had taught her to never let her guard down when being faced with a lightsabre wielding opponent. Needless to say, the position she thought she was now in was one which she was far more familiar with.

But she was wrong. It was not the zealot who had ignited his blade. Instead, it was a Sith. He was a spark of hope among the masses of blind zealots and fanatics. She had not brought a weapon herself - it made it easier to keep a low profile and minimized the risks of being discovered. It did, rather obviously, make her far less prepared for the encounter she now faced.

Whether she truly had the involve herself or not, however, was far form certain. The Crusaders' focus was fully on her fellow Sith - it was even reasonable to assume that she could get away if she made a run for it. The crowd was panicked and there was a far more obvious target for the security forces to focus on than her. But then, if it was indeed her that the crusader had found, the guy was her saviour. The choice was made even more complicated by the fact that revealing herself now risked her anonymity. What if she wouldn't be able to get her hands on the artefact for Insatious?

Delphine's eyes darted from person to person as she processed what was going on. In the end, she resorted to thinking of what Darth Insatious would do. Would he want her to go and look for the holocron or would he want her to help their fellow Sith out? The answer wasn't clear - for the Lord was a very knowledge thirsting man. But then, she couldn't be certain that the holocron was truly where she read that it was while she could be certain of the stranger's allegiance towards her Master's cause - or at least on similar to it. And with that, the decision was made. She was going to try to help.

Reaching out through the force, the athlete summoned the blaster rifle of Valen's first victim telekinetically. Her capacities in the realms of the force were still relatively raw and unrefined. Her eyes widened as she saw the rifle coming flying towards her at a high speed. Hoping not to knock herself over, she quickly shifted the direction in which it flew in a downwards angle. The weapon soon hit the ground with a metallic thud. While not quite as elegant as she might have hoped it would be, it was good enough.

She rushed forth and picked the weapon up. It was heavy and looked comically large as she held it. But it was nothing the right attitude and demeanour couldn't fix - at least for now. Her intentions were not to fire the weapon but rather to use it for intimidation. With hasty and determined steps, she hastily moved towards a luxuriously looking speeder and pointed the barrel at the owner.

Already panicked from Valen's display, the speeder's owner didn't react well towards now being targeted by a stranger with a rifle. His screams would surely have caught somebody's attention had they not been drowned out by the absolute chaos and mayhem that happened around them. Continuing on her march forth, the apprentice spoke with a clear voice "Get out. Get out now."

At first, she stared at him with ferocious determination. But as he shivered and shook, frozen in place by the driver's seat, she actually saw him. Just like her a few moments earlier, fear had him paralyzed. It was hard to blame him, all things considered. While still determined, her tone shifted slightly in a softer direction "Leave the vehicle. Walk home to your family. I won't hurt you." she saw, immediately, how this seemed to work better. "Just go home to your family."

The blaster was still pointed at him but she how he was considering her words. Would she shoot him as soon as he left the speeder? No. She gave him a small nod "I won't hurt you, just go."

And off he went. Almost as soon as the man charged out of the speeder, Delphine dropped the rifle. The recoil from firing it would probably hurt her more than whatever target it was that she missed. What mattered was that she had now secured a transport. And seemingly a fast one at that. Jumping in to the seat which the man had previously occupied, she pushed lever and brought the vehicle forth to glide in behind Valen "Hop on!" she hollered - they were just by the Kaas City Spaceport. Reinforcements were inevitably going to arrive soon.

 

[Darth Ahriman]

VALEN ARENAIS​

---

Location: Dromund Kaas, Kaas City.
Possessions: Lightsaber.
Starship: The Chimera.

---

"We're in position. Awaiting your signal".

A small squad of Sigma-Five-Delta's elite unit confirmed, their words transmitted into the subtle earpiece that Valen wore discreetly inserted within his left ear, made difficult to spot without knowing what to look for, and during times of great tension such as the commotion he had caused, not likely the first priority of the enemy.

Two of the special forces men had aligned with Valen's position on the left, hold up within the cover of darkness in the nearby maintenance alley, while another two had formed up on the right in order to provide effective cover for the Sith Apprentice. They had arrived prior to Valen revealing himself to the Jedi, yet they were a distraction in and of themselves.

A third team were positioned much farther away. A sniper and a spotter.

The ignition of Valen's lightsaber had been the signal they had waited for. The attack had commenced and while the first two troopers had been struck down by the Sith, blaster fire opened up from both sides of the street upon the remaining guard. It was enough to distract the Acolyte from the movement farther behind him as Del appeared to be procuring a getaway vehicle.

"Jedi. Before you die, Know that House Zambrano sends its regards".

His words were confident and so were his movements, drawing upon the hilt of his lightsaber in both hands and approaching the Jedi, forcing her to ready her own weapon in a bid to defend herself. The attack however did not come from the Sith Acolyte but from behind, the shot slamming into the back of the Jedi warrior before the echo of the sniper shot could ring out across the city sky.

The blade of Valen's lightsaber disengaged before he had even lowered it from striking position, instead moving to step on passed the Jedi who crumpled down to the street floor, while the Sith Acolyte looked to ascertain the status of her back up. They were all dead.

"Disperse" Valen ordered the squad, speaking through the comlink, instructing the troopers to leave without him; He had another reason for accepting the assignment. It hadn't been purely for the thrill in the mission being a high probability of failure. There was a personal stake in Dromund Kaas he had not divulged with his superiors.

"Hop on!" came the voice of a female following the sudden acceleration of a speeder engine. Valen had not expected to find a willing ally on Dromund Kass so soon; He had suspected pockets of resistance against the Ashlan Crusaders but nothing so readily willing to place themselves within a public spotlight that would surely ensue following the discovery of the slain Jedi. An anomaly amidst a well-planned strike against the enemy. Perhaps he should have been sceptical, and yet instead Valen lept over the side and into the passenger seat without argument.

 

[Del]

Looking for Escapees​

Location: Kaas City, Dromun Kaas
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Valen Arenais

---​

The most recent events played on repeat in her mind. The Sith she was working to rescue might not have needed rescuing after all. For he had support. Regardless, it was too late for alternate paths now. She had already threatened someone with a blaster rifle and had then proceeded to take their speeder. In the back of her mind, the name 'Zambrano' had also found its place. She had read about them in one of Insatious' books and knew that they were influential. But then, she also seemed to remember that it was a rather large family. But she pushed that thought aside as she wasn't even sure if she had heard it right. In the heat of the moment, it could really have been anything.

Her fellow dark sider hopped into the vehicle and off they went. She didn't say anything and simply brought them up into one of the faster lanes. The sleek vessel was designed for the kind of driving they did now - to zoom through the city lanes with great comfort to its pilot and passengers. At first, there would be silence as they simply made their way away from the spaceport.

It was with a massive amount of anxiety that she kept looking at the rear-view mirror to check for if they were being followed. So far, it appeared to be calm enough. She was curious about who she was travelling with. While she had plenty of training and was quite resourceful in her own right, he appeared to be more familiar with the galaxy at large and what it truly meant to improvise and survive in hostile situations like these. But perhaps it was a question for another time, instead, she chose to focus on something more relevant. Trying to hide her fear and insecurity, Delphine did her best to sound somewhat confident and in-control as she said "I've never been to Kaas City before"

Perhaps her words undermined her already faltering tone. But she pushed on, temporarily disrupting her pattern of nervously glancing between the viewport and the rear-view mirror to throw a quick glance at him "Where are we going?" Before truly giving him the chance to respond, she let out a nervous "I'm Delphine"

She should have allowed him to speak instead of introducing herself. For right as he was given the chance to answer, sirens could be heard from behind them. "Blast" she mumbled as she upped the speed at which they shot forth through the lane. Weaving between other speeders at a high pace, it was becoming abundantly clear that she needed some direction.

 

[Darth Ahriman]

VALEN ARENAIS​

---

Location: Dromund Kaas, Kaas City.
Possessions: Lightsaber.
Companion: Del .

---

Delphine. The name of the woman who sat in control of the Air-Speeder as they ascended into the line of traffic over Kaas City and were briefly allowed time to assess the situation. Her name was worthy of notice, for she had placed herself in the path of the Sith Acolyte for reasons he had not yet understood. As for their destination, Valen had something in mind.

"There is an old safe house near the outskirts of the industrial sector..." Valen answered her, his voice was dark, yet he did not speak coldly to the woman; She had not yet given him reason to. "There's a possibility it's been compromise-" his words cut off as the sound of sirens blared from the rear of their vehicle. Turning around, Valen confirmed the arrival of Kaas City Security Enforcement. They weren't like that of the former Empire's, yet it was enough to give him pause in their would-be sanctuary.

The Speeder suddenly lurched forward, the thrusters kicking up in power as the female pushed forward on the acceleration, Valen's back being pressed into the passenger seat as they shot through the centre of traffic in a bid to escape their pursuers. Turning to look back over his shoulder once more, he watched as the security vehicle picked up the chase, their lights flashing and their siren causing the civilian craft to pull aside, allowing them through without difficulty.

Narrowing his eyes with a look of anger towards their pursuers, Valen moved to turn in his seat, propping himself upon his knees and reaching out with both hands, arms extending to either side and calling upon the power of the Force, taking hold of a vehicle upon either side of the traffic lane, wrenching them away from their natural trajectory and straight into the path of the police unit.

The security vehicle slammed directly into the side of one of the civilian craft, while the other went headfirst into the vehicles rear left end. The impact was loud and all three air speeders lost repulsion, plummeting down towards the city surface below.

 

[Del]

Looking for Escapees​

Location: Kaas City, Dromun Kaas
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Valen Arenais

---​

At the edge of the industrial sector? Perhaps Kaas City only had one famous industrial sector that visitors were supposed to know of - unfortunately, she did not. Still, it was a minute issue that could quickly be solved by a glance at the onboard navigation system. "Right, okay" she said as her mind processed where to go. As she finally arrived at a conclusion, the speeder would lurch to right as she made a sharp turn.

It wasn't long after that the local security forces tailed them. Eventually, weaving through traffic was becoming quite unnecessary as the horns and sirens of the speeders that chased them caused others to give way. While convenient, it also meant that they were drawing an increasing amount of attention and becoming climbing the security forces' list of priorities. But then, considering how he had just murdered those guards, they would be high priority targets regardless.

Eventually, the passenger turned around to sit up on his knees. Delphine threw a glance at him before deciding to just keep track of what he was doing via the rear-view mirror. Her current task of piloting was far more important than her curiosity. But then, merely looking through the rear-view mirrors proved to be enough. For what he did was quite obvious - at least to Delphine, a trained force sensitive herself. His solution to their issues was elegant and efficient. Something which she would be sure to draw inspiration from in the future. For now, however, they just had to escape.

"That was impressive" she spoke as excitedly as someone in her position could sound. Then, she got back to business "Who knows how they're tracking us. Can't be that hard, right?" Her suspicion was reflected in how she piloted. Instead of trying to blend in with traffic again, she simply kept them at a high speed. They soared through the city at an incredible pace and were quickly making their way towards the Industrial Sector. Getting noticed was inevitable and it lead her to the rather natural conclusion that, even if she knew where the safehouse was, she couldn't take them there directly.

"I think we'll have to do a bit of walking." The young athlete pointed to an open area far in the distance - at their current pace, it would only be a few minutes before they arrived "I should be able to set us down at that spot. Can you find your way to the safehouse from there?"

 

[Darth Ahriman]

VALEN ARENAIS​

---

Location: Dromund Kaas, Kaas City.
Possessions: Lightsaber.
Companion: Del .

---

"That was impressive. Who knows how they're tracking us. Can't be that hard, right?".

"They would have mobilized the closest unit in response to the incident" Valen replied with his best assumption while Del moved the Air Speeder back in line with the rest of the air traffic, the Acolyte turning back in his seat to look on ahead as they travelled.

After a time, Valen turned back to look upon the woman with a crimson glow in his dark gaze, the light of corruption, a burning fire that engulfed his soul, power churning within made manifest with the Dark Side of the Force. "Coming to the assistance of a Sith isn't unusual where you come from?" He asked, his words laced with sarcasm.

Relating with another individual on a personal level wasn't within Valen's skillset. He had been born into servitude as a slave, rescued by emotionally detached Jedi and then voluntarily entered into the Sith Order where his induction was a test of survival against five others in a life or death exchange of violence. Mostly death....-For the five others. They had been his first kills. It was traumatic at the time, but it had since become a fond memory, his first stepping stone towards the acquisition of true power.

The decline of the nose of the speeder signalled their descent towards the surface of Kaas City once more; "I can find my way" Valen answered, his right hand moving across to the left, tapping the tactical gauntlet. The glove was a regular black leather, yet the gauntlet held an inbuilt communications device capable of tracking his way to any known facilities still under the control of the Sith Order courtesy of the archive databanks.

"You should consider burning this once you're finished with it" he motioned to the dash of the speeder. The vehicle would have since become known to the current authoritarian movement over Dromund Kaas, for as long as they continue to operate on what was supposed to be a Sith capital World.

 

[Del]

Looking for Escapees​

Location: Kaas City, Dromun Kaas
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Valen Arenais

---​

The man seemed to be familiar with local law enforcement. At least familiar enough to understand how they'd act in this particular situation. It was good - for in these kinds of situations, experience and knowledge was of key importance. Delphine didn't ask further questions on the matter - however. If he had more thoughts that were relevant, he would have shared them, right? As far as she was concerned, their fates were tied together - at least for this journey.

She was surprised to hear him wonder about why she intervened. Perhaps she had viewed Dromund Kaas through rose-tinted glasses. The galaxy hated them - the Jedi, Imperials, Mandalorians, core worlders - they had all banded up against them at some point but Dromund Kaas. Dromund Kaas was supposed to be different. It was supposed to be the heart of the Sith Empire. But then, right now it was occupied by fanatic crusaders. Instead of questioning him, she decided to answer rather plainly "I am a subject of Darth Insatious - I believe he would have wanted me to intervene."

As they started their slow descent, it was becoming increasingly obvious that they had found a rather descent spot to land by. It was on top of a set of three containers close to a market square. Packed together, the containers made for a smooth surface area without being all too hard to hop down from. The vicinity to the market square meant that they had a crowd to blend into or to use as shields against an aggressive Crusader security force. "Good" she nodded, both approving of the location and his answer.

"I'm sorry" a slight pause ensued. He had recommended burning it - but not only had she disposed of the rifle - she also lacked any tools with which she could burn something. "But I don't think I can." she pulled her hoodie up to reveal her rather empty belt underneath - it held a pouch containing credits and a datapad as well as a comms device - other than that, she carried no real items of note. Pulling it back down, she offered an apologetic shrug.

As the two arrived, she set the speeder down on top of the containers. It was far from an ideal spot but it would have to do. "If you want to burn it down though. Be my guest" she offered as she proceeded to open the door. The rough smell from metal smelters and heavy industry manufactories flooded the cabin with a small scent of fish following right after. Delphine's features furrowed at the smell as she pulled the hood over her head, allowing it to hide both her hair and part of her face. Still, from close up, it wouldn't be hard to study her features and expressions "I'll follow your lead"

 

[Darth Ahriman]

VALEN ARENAIS​

---

Location: Dromund Kaas, Kaas City.
Possessions: Lightsaber.
Companion: Del .

---

Darth Insatious ...The title of Darth was enough to turn his gaze back towards Del with renewed interest. Where he had previously spoken to her as though their paths were to separate then and there, he now reconsidered the young woman's potential.

If she were in league with a Darth, then she was tied to the Sith Order...-And in Valen's mind, regardless of loyalties, there was only one Sith Order. That which all Sith belonged to, no matter how their views and ideologies differed. It was perhaps too idealistic, dangerously so, and yet with the enemy out in great strength, they could not afford to go killing one another and doing the Jedi's job for them.

"Very well. We shall see where our path leads us" Valen replied, acknowledging and approving of her decision to follow his lead and accompany him further. The pair would disembark from the speeder, Valen moving to open the rear compartment exposing the engine and once they were some safe distance away, he would turn back to face the vehicle reaching out with his left hand.

The power of the Darkside swelled around him, the very air that Del breathed, growing dense and difficult to inhale as the Acolyte's dark influence grew in presence, garnering the energies siphoned from the living world around them and harnessing it at his fingertips. A spark of light, brilliant and amethyst, soon erupted in a burst of lightning aimed at the speeders exposed engine, crackling, snapping and coursing throughout the metal of the vehicle until it reached the power cells and exploded in an even greater display of fire and smoke.

"Let us move on. Quickly" Valen spoke softly, the warm glow of the now very much blazing fire reflecting the crimson glare of his corrupted iris, eyes turning away from the scene and from where he had stood, Del might notice that any obvious flora in the vicinity would have wilted and died in the presence of his use of the Force.

 

[Del]

Looking for Escapees​

Location: Kaas City, Dromun Kaas
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Valen Arenais

---​

It was a typical thing for a force user to say, wasn't it? To 'see where their path would lead them' - it was a way to view life that only those confident in their abilities could afford. She was getting there herself but there was still a way to go. With a nod, she acknowledged what he said and turned to move away from the shuttle.

Delphine's gaze turned from the path ahead onto her newfound ally as he slowed down and stretched out an arm towards the vehicle in which they had arrived. When it - quite suddenly - exploded, she couldn't help but to recoil away from it and him. Although she had made some good progress since falling into Darth Insatious' sphere of influence, she was still not battle hardened in the least.

A shiver spread through her being and a few brief moments passed as she quickly recovered. Her eyes zapped back to Valen. His eyes appeared to almost be glowing. "Yeah, let's" she spoke absently - her mind wandering from his capacities to how they would handle the situation at hand. She was still not at the stage where she could comfortably lean back and rely on the force to guide them.

Running somewhat conservatively in the hopes of saving energy, she accompanied the Sith on their way to the safehouse. She had no real idea of where exactly it was - an important reason for why she would let him take the lead as they made their way through the streets. The crowds that she would have expected them to wade through before were no longer there. His explosion had convinced most sane pedestrians to seek shelter or run away. It was a bit of chaos that would hopefully work in their favour - surely they had to be harder to find with the sudden increase of intense activity.